Social factors operating in feeding practice and dietary pattern of under-threes
Nalwa, A.S.
Indian Pediatrics 18(7): 453-460
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-6061 PMID: 7298167 Document Number: 182586
Study was of children under 3 years old attending health clinic in New Delhi, India, in 1978. The mothers were in 5 groups by level of education or in 3 groups by economic status. For each group, tables show the percentage of infants who had been given honey, water, sweetened water or animal milk or who had been breast fed for their first feed; who had been breast fed first on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th or later day of life or never; who had been given as "top feed" buffalo's or cow's milk, reconstituted milk or pasturized milk of the Delhi Milk Scheme; whose first solid food had been cereals, pulses, vegetables or fruit, and the mean age at which they had been given their first solid food. Type of first feed and delay in starting breast feeding varied with education and especially with income; honey was the most popular, though the poorest and least educated women more often gave sweetened water. Most infants were breast fed first on the 2nd and 3rd day by all except the poorest women, who were more likely to breast feed on the 1st day, a practice which is recommended. Supplementary feed tended to be buffalo's milk for poorer or less educated women and reconstituted milk for richer or more educated women. The richer and especially the more educated women gave semisolid foods earlier; the richer gave solids earlier. Foods were mainly cereals and pulses, seldom vegetables or fruit. Egg or meat were hardly ever mentioned. There was no significant difference with economic status but the richer or better educated women tended to give a more balanced diet. Duration of breast feeding ranged with education from 7.3 months with college education to 9.8 months for the illiterate women; there was no clear trend with economic status. In general the diet pattern of the infants was unsatisfactory, especially among those of the poorer or less educated women.